10 Best Random Posts and Pages Widget Alternatives in 2026
Updated September 7, 2026 · Ranked by how closely each plugin matches, from WordPress.org data · How this works
Random Posts and Pages Widget has 1,000+ active installs on WordPress.org. These 10 plugins share its category or its tags on WordPress.org, are actively maintained, and each has at least 100 active installs. They are ordered by how closely they match, not by our opinion.
The 10 closest alternatives to Random Posts and Pages Widget
- 1
Manual Related Posts
Closest match5.0 (23) 1,000+ active installsA simple 'related posts' plugin that lets you select related posts manually.
Shares the related posts tag on WordPress.org. A similar number of installs, last updated 8 days ago.
- 2
4.8 (77) 10,000+ active installsDisplay a list of related posts on your site based on the most terms in common. Supports thumbnails, shortcodes, a widget and more.
Shares the related posts tag on WordPress.org. About 10 times the installs, last updated 17 days ago.
- 3
ElasticPress
Paid version available4.2 (30) 8,000+ active installsA fast and flexible search and query engine for WordPress.
Shares the related posts tag on WordPress.org. About 8 times the installs, last updated 11 days ago.
- 4
4.6 (39) 3,000+ active installsDisplay Related Post under post by taxonomy and terms.
Shares the related posts tag on WordPress.org. About 3 times the installs, last updated June 8, 2026.
- 5
4.9 (46) 3,000+ active installsManual related posts without slowing down your website!
Shares the related posts tag on WordPress.org. About 3 times the installs, last updated 19 days ago.
- 6
YARPP – Yet Another Related Posts Plugin
4.8 (1,163) 100,000+ active installsThe best WordPress plugin for displaying related posts. Simple and flexible, with a powerful proven algorithm and inbuilt caching.
Shares the related posts tag on WordPress.org. About 100 times the installs, no update since November 11, 2024.
- 7
Contextual Related Posts
Paid version available4.8 (201) 50,000+ active installsKeep visitors on your site longer with intelligent, fast-loading, contextually related posts. Block, shortcode, custom post type and widget ready.
Shares the related posts tag on WordPress.org. About 50 times the installs, last updated 2 days ago.
- 8
Related Posts Thumbnails
Paid version availableRelated Posts Thumbnails Plugin for WordPress
4.9 (233) 20,000+ active installsRelated Posts by WPBrigade is The Best Customizable plugin, that nicely displays related posts thumbnails under the post.
Shares the related posts tag on WordPress.org. About 20 times the installs, last updated July 17, 2026.
- 9
4.6 (126) 1,000+ active installsDisplay cool, animated fly-out or fade box with related content.
A similar number of installs, last updated July 23, 2026.
- 10
4.6 (325) 10,000+ active installsThe best WordPress plugin for related posts. Simple, flexible, powerful algorithm, and built-in caching. Fully setup with only 1 click!
About 10 times the installs, no update since May 10, 2025.
Switching from Random Posts and Pages Widget: common questions
What is the best alternative to Random Posts and Pages Widget?
Manual Related Posts is the closest match: it shares the same WordPress.org tags and has 1,000+ active installs with a 5.0 out of 5 rating.
Which Random Posts and Pages Widget alternative has the most users?
Yet Another Related Posts Plugin, with 100,000+ active installs reported by WordPress.org.
Which Random Posts and Pages Widget alternative is rated highest?
Related Posts Thumbnails, rated 4.9 out of 5 by 233 reviewers. Only plugins with at least 50 reviews are counted.
Are these Random Posts and Pages Widget alternatives free?
Every plugin listed here is free to install from WordPress.org. Where WordPress.org marks a plugin as commercial, the developer also sells a paid version or add-ons, and that is shown on each plugin.
How are alternatives chosen?
Automatically, from WordPress.org data: plugins that share a category top 10 with Random Posts and Pages Widget score highest, then plugins that appear in the same WordPress.org rankings, then plugins with the same tags, weighted so rare tags count more than common ones. Plugins by the same author and plugins rated under 4.0 are left out.
How we choose these alternatives
Nothing on this page is picked by hand. Every day we walk the whole WordPress.org directory, then score every plugin against Random Posts and Pages Widget on three signals: sharing a category top 10 counts most, then appearing in the same WordPress.org rankings, then carrying the same tags, with rare tags counting for more than common ones like "wordpress". Plugins by the same author are excluded, so an author's own add-ons cannot fill the list, and so is anything rated below 4.0 or with fewer than 100 active installs. The ten highest scores are what you see, in that order. Full methodology.
The bottom line
Manual Related Posts is the closest match to Random Posts and Pages Widget by the data we track, and Yet Another Related Posts Plugin has the widest reach with 100,000+ active installs. Contextual Related Posts shipped the most recent release, on September 5, 2026. The list is rebuilt every day from WordPress.org, so a plugin that stops being maintained drops out on its own.
Weekly · free
What moved this week
One email a week, built from the same daily snapshots these rankings come from: the plugins that climbed, what launched, and one ranking worth a look.